


Fumbling In The Dark

by justawordshaker (thegloryofspring)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV), Warm Bodies - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Zombies, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-16
Updated: 2013-04-16
Packaged: 2017-12-08 16:01:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/763269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegloryofspring/pseuds/justawordshaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Allison Argent doesn't think that a semi-normal life during the end of the world is so much to ask for. Obviously, the universe disagrees.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fumbling In The Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! So, after finishing Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion a few weeks ago I realised that it was pretty much perfect to be made into a Teen Wolf AU. So I decided to write it myself. This is actually only a small piece of what I may one day flesh out into an entire universe. But I wanted to see how well I could write in this world before I decided to _really_ commit myself to it. So any feedback you can give me on what you enjoyed will be GREATLY appreciated.
> 
> Also, you should know that I am participating in the [AO3 Auction](http://ao3auction.tumblr.com/thegloryofspring). So if you guys enjoy this piece and are interested in having me write on a prompt of your choice, you should go and help out our lovely site by bidding on me and putting me to work.
> 
> Title comes from the book: "We're fumbling in the dark, but at least we're in motion."

Allison wishes her life was at least moderately normal. At least as normal as her life could be at the end of the world. Was that too much to ask? It’s not like she wanted to start thinking about zombies as being anything more than corpses. It’s not like she _asked_ to be rescued by one. She was perfectly happy to shoot every corpse she met between the eyes with her crossbow.

It was so much easier before S. Before she met S, she only had to worry about whether her boyfriend was going to try and commit suicide and go out in a blaze of glory.

She thinks it says a lot about her life that being on suicide watch for her highschool sweetheart was easier than this. But it was. Jackson died a long time ago. She started mourning him after his parents died. The next year was just a waiting game.

That was easier, somehow, than having to realise that everything they knew about corpses might be wrong.

But Allison is home now. Back in the relative safety of an overpopulated former football stadium. Trying to explain to her friends why she was still alive and hadn’t been cannibalised by an undead monster.

“So he _saved_ you? Seriously?”

Allison sighs. “Yes, Stiles. He saved me.”

“And he didn’t try to eat you?” 

“No.”

“Not even _once?”_

Lydia rolls her eyes and reaches over to pinch Stiles with her filed nails. Allison has no idea how Lydia manages to still look clean and stylish, but her nails are almost always painted and her hair always looks perfect. “If he wanted to eat Allison, do you really think she would be sitting here?”

Stiles makes a face and tries to move out of Lydia’s reach, but Allison’s bed isn’t big enough and he is sitting next to Lydia. The better for them to interrogate her. “ _Please_. Allison’s badass. She could totally fight him off. She’s going to outlive all of us. She’ll be the first person to die of old age in a zombie apocalypse.”

“What was she supposed to fight a zombie off with, Stiles? We found her crossbow, remember? The risk of getting bitten in that situation is practically guaranteed.”

Allison pulls her legs up to her chest so she can rest her head on her knees. “I did manage to find a chainsaw at one point.”

“Holy shit, really?” Stiles exclaims, looking entirely too excited.

“It was in a storage closet. It didn’t help much though. I couldn’t move fast enough.”

Stiles looked positively gleeful at the idea of Allison using a chainsaw to fight off zombies, no matter how ineffective it was. She’s used to it. Stiles has been her friend since he came to the stadium at fifteen. He is still the only person she’s met who treats the end of the world with equal amounts of awe and horror. As much as he jokes, she knows that he’s suffered as much as everyone else.

When Allison finally made it back to the stadium, her father was waiting at the gate for her. He hugged her, but it was stiff and the first hug she can remember since her mother died. He immediately let go and left to go on patrol. But Stiles and Lydia waited directly behind him so they were the first thing she saw once her father was gone. Lydia looked at her in relief. She looked more disheveled than Allison had ever seen her. Her hair was pulled back carelessly and her cheeks were bright red. 

As bad as Lydia looked, Stiles was worse. As soon as her father moved, Stiles raced towards her so he could wrap his arms around her shoulders. He was uncharacteristically silent. He just held her against his chest so tightly that she couldn’t have moved if she tried. When he finally let her go, he wiped tears off his face and said, _“You have the luck of the devil, I swear to God.”_

“He really spoke to you?”

Allison looks up at Lydia and nods. “Yeah. And he got better at it. At first, he was only able to say a few words at a time. But by the time I left, it was full sentences.”

“Why could he do it and none of the others?” Stiles asks, fingers tapping against his thigh. “Is he just some weird exception or are all the corpses like him?”

“I don’t think he was an exception,” Allison replies. “Some of the others spoke too. And the Boneys were teaching the kids how to attack humans. And some of them got _married_.”

“So they aren’t as mindless as we think,” Lydia replies in a way Allison knows means that she’s filing away the information. “And they managed to create their own society.”

“It’s not just that. S was almost human. The Boneys were just as crazy, they were just more intelligent than we imagined. And the other zombies were exactly what we thought until S attacked them to protect me. It wasn’t until after that...”

She trails off and bites her lip. She still isn’t sure what happened. S saved her again, but the other zombies seemed to know what he did. They seemed to understand. When she looked at them after that, even the most rotted of the zombies looked human.

“Allison? You okay?”

She looks up and nods, smiling and trying to reassure Stiles. “I’m fine. I just need some air, I think.”

Before he can say anything, she gets off the bed and goes out to the balcony. She doesn’t usually use it because it was her dad’s way of trying to placate her. She had always wanted a balcony when she was younger, so when her parents forced her to move into the stadium they made sure her room had a balcony. It is probably petty to never use the damn thing, but it only makes her think about what it was like before there were more zombies than humans.

But she needs time to think. She knows that Lydia wants to know everything she can about what Allison saw - she is still convinced that she can find out what started everything and find a way to fix it or prevent it from happening to everyone. And Allison knows that Stiles is still worried about her. In a lot of ways, they have grown up together. Stiles is the only person left who met her mom. Not even Jackson had met her. He’s the family she cares about most now. His dad is more of a father to her than her own.

She just needs to be able to think. She doesn’t want to scare him and she wants to help Lydia. But she has to _think_.

“Allison.”

She looks around. She knows that voice. But it can’t be. It can’t -

“S?”

It was. S is standing in front of her house, still wearing his red hoodie over a tattered t-shirt and jeans.

“What are you _doing_? If you’re _seen_ \- “

“Came to...see you.”

He smiles up at her and even though his teeth are filthy and it should be disgusting, Allison can’t help but want to smile too. She couldn’t let herself, though. “You can’t be here. What if someone sees you?”

“Allison? You okay?”

She stands up straight and bites her lip, trying to figure out what to do. “Just a minute, Lydia!” She turns back to S. He has to leave. He has to get out before anyone can find him and _actually_ kill him.

He was trying to climb the drain pipe.

“S, stop it! What are you doing?”

“Allison, who are you talking to?” The balcony door swings open and Lydia walks out. Allison doesn’t turn around fast enough. “Is there someone down there?”

“Lydia - “

She looks over the ledge and sees S who, thankfully, has stopped trying to climb up the balcony. His eyes are wide and he’s looking at Lydia helplessly. Allison watches as Lydia quirks her head to the side, studying S for a few long moments.

“So this is him?”

Allison swallows and nods. “Lydia, S. S, this is Lydia.”

He waves up at her, but Lydia only rolls her eyes before turning to Allison. “I expected more drop-dead gorgeous and less adorable-puppy.” She turns to head back towards the door. “You better get him inside before someone sees him and decides to use those dimples as targets.”

Allison closes her eyes, seriously regretting her choice in friends. She turns back to S. “Stay there, I’ll let you in. You have to get off the street.”

He only smiles back up at her and nods. She has to cross back through her room so she can get downstairs to let S in. Stiles stands when he sees her. “He’s really here? _Really?_ How did he get in? How didn’t he get _killed_?”

Allison doesn’t answer. She just grabs his arm and pulls him along with her. He stumbles, but follows her. When she opens the door, S is standing there. Allison hugs him. She doesn’t let herself think or second-guess herself. She just steps forward and wraps her arms around his neck.

“I missed you,” she says softly. He wraps his arms around her and Allison thinks he almost feels warm.

“Missed you too,” he replies.

She takes a step back, surprised and happy in a way that she knows shows. “You’re talking better.”

He nods and smiles again, mouth closed this time. If it weren’t for his grey eyes, he would really look alive. Maybe it is something in the lighting of the house or the darkness of the street, but Allison thinks that S looks better than she remembered. Less dead, at the very least.

Allison smiles back at him. “S, this is Stiles. Stiles - “ Before she can finish, she sees familiar headlights at the end of the road. She grabs S’s arm and pulls him inside. “Quick, it’s the patrol!”

She slams the door shut behind S, waiting until she hears the jeeps pass the house. She sighs and turns to see Stiles staring at S. “Stiles? This is S.”

He nods, still looking at S with wide eyes. Allison doesn’t think he looks scared, but she knows that it isn’t a good look. It’s not a look that Allison can ever remember seeing on Stiles’ face. 

“I know,” he finally says. “I mean, I - I _know_ him.”

“Stiles, what are you talking about?”

“I mean that he was my best friend before I came here!” Stiles shouts, gesturing at S with a wild arm.

Allison’s eyes widen and she looks at S. He is looking at Stiles with the same shock and confusion as she is. “You knew me?”

Stiles nods and Allison can see his Adam’s apple bob when he swallows. “Yeah. We - we were friends. We grew up together.”

“You know my name?”

Stiles nods and Allison waits, inexplicably anxious. When she met S, it always bothered her that he couldn’t remember his name. It never seems to bother him much, but Allison always wanted him to have a name. An identity. Something more than every other zombie because he isn’t the same.

“Your name is Scott. Scott McCall.”

“Scott,” he repeats. “My name was...Scott.”

Allison looks at S. At Scott. Her S who is Stiles’ Scott. The same Scott that Stiles always told her stories about. How they would get into trouble with Stiles’ dad when they got caught breaking rules and how Scott convinced Stiles to jump out of a tree and he broke his wrist.

“Do you remember what happened?” Stiles asks, sounding completely awkward. “I mean, do you know how you...you know, died?”

“Oh my God, _Stiles_.”

“What? I think it’s a valid question. Especially since the last time I saw him he was completely healthy except for some terrible asthma. So unless he died of an _asthma attack_ I would like to know how my best friend turned into a freaking _zombie_ , Allison.”

“Stiles - “

He shakes his head and steps back, rolling onto his heel and running a hand through his hair. “Sorry. Sorry, I just...”

Allison steps forward and wraps her fingers around Stiles’ wrist. “It’s okay. Just calm down.” She can feel how fast Stiles’ heart is under her fingers and notices immediately that he’s blinking too fast. Allison has only ever noticed him doing that when he’s feeling particularly anxious and those are always the days whenever he asks his dad if there are any pills left.

“You don’t get it. He - “ 

“I do,” she interrupts. “I can imagine. But you have to calm down so I don’t have to go find your dad and lie to him about why you’re so freaked out. Okay?”

Stiles swallows again and nods, closing his eyes. “Okay,” he finally replies. “I’m okay.”

He opens his eyes and S - _Scott_ \- steps forward. He holds out one of his hands and Allison watches as Stiles laughs, only the barest hint of it hysterical. “We’ve already met, dude.”

“But I don’t...remember,” Scott replies. “You’re Allison’s friend.”

Stiles shakes his head and takes Scott’s hand, shaking it. “Yeah. I’m yours too. Even if you don’t remember how awesome I am. Don’t worry, I’ll remind you. Can’t deprive you of the pure joy of a friendship with me just because you’re half-dead.”

“Half-dead means...half-alive too.”

“That’s the point,” Stiles replies with a smile. “C’mon, let’s go upstairs. Lydia and I can tell you all kinds of embarrassing stories about Allison. And hey, I can tell you embarrassing stories about you!”

“First you can tell us how you managed to get into the city,” Allison says. “If my father or Stiles’ dad find out you’re here, they’ll try to test you.”

“And we don’t want _that_ ,” Stiles finishes. “Plus, my dad will probably recognise you. We got into a lot of trouble with him.”

Scott smiles and walks between the two of them happily. Allison has to bite back a smile when he easily slips his hand into hers. “I’ll be glad...to hear it. I always wondered...where I came from.”

Stiles opened the door to Allison’s bedroom and bounded in, jumping onto the bed so Lydia glared when it bounced. “You missed all the drama,” he tells her with a grin that is still strained around the edges. “Turns out Allison’s zombie-boyfriend is my best friend from before I met you two losers. Aren’t you sad you stayed up here to paint your nails instead of seeing the epic reunion?”

Lydia looks up and raises an eyebrow. “I’m sure that if it was really as cinematic as that, Allison will fill me in. My guess is that there was more flailing and almost falling over involved.”

“What? _Why?”_ Stiles sits up quickly and has to grab the bedpost so he doesn’t tumble off the bed. Allison has to look down so she doesn’t laugh out loud.

“I think Allison’s zombie-boyfriend is more coordinated than you are, Stilinski.”

Stiles sputters wordlessly and Allison has to laugh. She glances at Scott who is still standing beside her. He is looking at Stiles and Lydia almost curiously. She leans over and bumps his shoulder lightly, watching him sway and happy that he is coordinated enough not to fall over.

“I’m glad you came,” she tells him quietly. “Even if it’s a miracle you weren’t spotted.”

He looks down at the carpet and holds out his left leg. “One of the dogs...tried to eat me. A girl noticed but...she told me what street you live on.”

“Really?” Allison can’t believe that anyone in the stadium, not even a child, would see a zombie and not scream at the sight of it. Not even Scott who is so obviously still human in the ways that really matter.

“I think I’m...changing. I can almost feel things again.”

Allison frowns. “Changing? What do you mean?”

Scott shrugs. “Less zombie, more...human. It rained and I felt...cold.”

“So what, you’re reversing the process? You’re not as dead anymore?”

He shrugs again. “Don’t know. But I’m not the only one. Others are changing. They helped me get inside. Derek remembered...his name. And his sister.”

Allison tries to process what Scott is telling her. “Derek is your friend, right? The one in the leather jacket that tried to eat me, but stopped?”

Scott nods. “He told me his family was killed. They got sick and turned...then there was  fire. His uncle is one of...the Boneys.”

“So you’re all changing?”

“Think so.”

“What could make zombies change like that?” Stiles asks from the bed, he and Lydia finally paying attention to Allison’s conversation.

Scott shrugs, but Lydia sits up. “We don’t know what started turning people or the full effects of whatever makes them zombies. We only know that it is different for each person. Some zombies turn into Boneys within a week and others don’t begin rotting for years. Maybe it’s something that can be reversed.”

“There just has to be a reason to,” Stiles finishes. “They have to find a reason to want to be a living human again. Except whatever changes them - “

“Stops them from remembering their human life,” Lydia finishes. She turns to Scott. “Does any of this sound right?”

Scott nods and lets his hand fall from Allison’s. “Brains aren’t food...they’re memories. Life. Feeling.”

“So when you eat brains you get that person’s memories?” Stiles asks in a shocked voice.

“Yes.”

“That’s it,” Lydia says quietly. “Whatever turns you, it doesn’t take away the drive to live or survive. But it begins to deteriorate the brain, so long-term memory is impossible. But if you _relive_ someone’s life then maybe...”

“Maybe you can change back if you find a way to live _without_ that?” Stiles asks.

“Maybe,” Lydia replies, just as quiet. 

“Okay, but what does all of that _mean?”_ Allison asks. “Does it mean all the zombies can be cured?”

“I don’t know,” Lydia replies, opening her notebook and starting to write quickly. “I need more information. But if we’re using Scott as a test subject, I think it might be possible.”

Allison turns to Scott and sees him frowning. “Why?”

Lydia rolls her eyes impatiently. “Because even in the ten minutes you’ve been here,  your speech has improved drastically. You’re changing. Quickly. Right now you’re the only example we have to look at.”

Allison pulls Scott forward and he sits on the edge of her bed across from Stiles. “You said Derek helped you get in,” she says softly. “And others were with him. How close are they?”

Scott shrugs. “Not sure. Why?”

“Because if he’s close enough we can see if they’re changing like you are,” she tells him. “If they are, we might be able to convince my father to help you instead of killing you.”

Scott smiles, but Stiles taps his fingers against his knee. “I don’t know, Allison. That sounds like a long-shot.”

“It’s better than nothing,” she replies strongly. “We have to do _something_. Especially if what you and Lydia think is true.”

“We have to do this the smart way,” Lydia says seriously, sitting up straight. “We can’t all try and sneak out of the stadium at once. It would be too obvious. Stiles can sneak out with Scott through the tunnel - no one is down there anymore since the last cave-in - and you and I can sneak out through the upper gate. No one will be surprised if they see us there. We’ve done it a dozen times when we were ditching the boys.”

“Hey!”

“I don’t know...” Lydia raises an eyebrow and Allison sighs. “Fine. But we’ll meet up again outside the stadium, right?”

Lydia rolls her eyes. “Of course. Don’t worry, you won’t be separated from your boy-toy for long.”

Allison glares. “Fine. But it will be better if we wait until morning when the patrol is switching shifts. It will make sneaking out easier.”

“Fine. Then I am going to get some sleep. You three have fun gossiping.”

Lydia held her notebook to her chest and left the room. There was a guest bedroom next door that she always claimed for her own, letting Stiles sleep on the lumpy couch in the corner of Allison’s bedroom whenever they stayed the night.

“I’m going to sleep too. You guys can stay up, though.” Stiles grins and winks at Scott. “I sleep like the dead.”

Scott stares at Stiles, unamused. “The dead don’t sleep,” he says seriously. “Usually.”

That catches Stiles’ interest. “Wait, what? Usually?” He glances at Allison and stands up, backing up towards the couch. “You know what? You can explain in the morning. In excruciating detail. So I can know if zombies dream of electric sheep.”

Allison rolls her eyes, shaking her head as Stiles lies down on the couch so his back is to both of them. She really needs to find better friends. “Sorry about them,” Allison says quietly. “They mean well.”

Scott shrugs and sees him smile at the gesture, probably remembering how she told him he couldn’t just respond in shrugs all the time. “I’m glad I could meet Stiles...again.”

Allison smiles. “Me too. He missed you.”

“When did you meet him?”

“I was sixteen,” Allison replies. “He just came into the stadium and I had only been there for a few weeks. Other than Jackson, he was the first friend I made. For a long time, he was the only friend I had. Lydia didn’t come until a few years ago when a community in the south was overrun.”

Scott nods, but doesn’t reply. Allison pulls her knees up again and wraps her arms around her legs. She isn’t sure if she is imagining how tired he looks. If he is changing and becoming more human, then would he need to rest too?

“Are you okay? You look...tired.” He shrugs and Allison can’t help but laugh. “Come on. Let’s get some sleep. I’ll even let you share my bed like last time.”

Scott smiles and Allison can’t help but think that they have matching dimples. “Thanks.”

Allison pulls the blankets back and slips off her shoes before lying down. Scott mimics her and he’s so close that she is sure he feels warmer. She reaches over and wraps her hand around his. “I really am glad you came,” she whispers.

“Me too.”

She bites her lip and turns on her side so she is facing him. “Would I turn? If I tried to kiss you?”

Scott’s eyes widen and she can see that he has no idea. So she smiles and leans forward to kiss his cheek. Scott blinks and Allison thinks it might be the first time she saw him do so. “I wish I could really...kiss you.”

Allison laughs and bites her lip. “Keep changing as quickly as you are and you just might be able to.”

The look of joy on his face is both unfamiliar and completely familiar all at once. She hopes that Lydia is right. Because she is quite sure that she won’t be able to live a happy life unless Scott is standing next to her.

Maybe normal was overrated after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this! I had a lot of fun writing this and hope it was just as much fun to read. So if it isn't too much trouble leave me a comment or come say hello to me on [Tumblr](http://justawordshaker.tumblr.com). And remember to help out AO3 if you can by visiting the [auction](http://ao3auction.tumblr.com/thegloryofspring). Thanks for reading!


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